Declaration Of Unity - Luminescent Revolution

[Bill]

Declaration Of Unity

Luminescent Revolution

Goa Records

Tracklist:

1. Obliteracion

2. Hypnotic Awakening

3. Luminescent Territory

4. Urban Jewel

5. Canadair

6. Jamaicalien

7. Magick Droplet

8. Prime Consciousness

9. Vista Point

10. Aqua Spirit

Of the great full-on albums of 2015, Luminescent Revolution is my favorite. Staggering to think I was unaware of these guys until a few short months ago, staggering to think that of the trio one has a primary focus on making goa, another has a focus on making forest, yet here is a debut full-length where the vibe is warm and wonderful morning full-on.

 

No reason to have seen this one coming which makes the impact of the thing that much more affecting. Of their history here in 2015, DoU member Ion Vader released a good goa EP entitled Expansion through TimeWarp Records. Declaration of Unity themselves then released their Optical Delusion EP through Ovnimoon and showcased an adept skill at blending forest, goa and full-on in one intriguing package, but nothing quite like Luminescent Revolution.

 

The only piece of work similar to this full-length comes on their awesome "Rivershack" track from Mysteries of Psytrance Vol. 4. Both are released pretty close to each other, though, and hardly offered up enough time to register the direction these guys would be heading in here.

 

And, of course, if you're unfamiliar with Declaration of Unity then all of this is pretty new to you anyway.

 

Unfortunately, "Rivershack" does not appear on this album but it should have. It's beautiful, catchy, melodic and would have been one more shining jewel on a sterling album. Perhaps unfortunately, too, is the absence of Ion Vader's goa sounds, much more prevalent in its chirping and synth solos on Optical Delusion. The most one will get of goa on this album is the depth and emotion of the tracks themselves, and maybe that isn't such a down point.

 

Interestingly, among all these full-on basslines and warm and relaxing morning-time vibes, more of a focus is put on the forest effects which quite often adds a lot of moodiness and atmosphere to the music. Sometimes, as on "Vista Point," things get too far into the murky forest sounds and the warm vibe of the album itself gets lost. Meanwhile, on "Luminescent Territory" standard and ultimately uninteresting full-on fails to captivate.

 

Those are the down points. Everything else here is great.

 

The energetic gems of "Canadair" and "Jamaicalien" are afternoon outdoor gems, ready to fill a dancefloor while offering up depth and emotion that has quite a bit of fire in its step for the at-home listener. "Magick Droplet" is a psychedelic masterwork, a track that offers up something new and impressive on each listen.

 

"Hypnotic Awakening," "Urban Jewel" and "Prime Consciousness" are great filler tracks that would likely outshine many other tracks if they were offered up individually on a compilation to be compared against the work of their peers.

 

The centerpieces of this album, however, the truly shining moments, are the introduction and the conclusion. The stunning and hypnotic "Obliteracion" enraptures and entrances the longer it plays on. There's quite a bit of transporting magic in this one made all the more impressive because on repeat listens the effect is replicated each and every time.

 

"Aqua Spirit" offers up a bit of techno and progressive vibes while the full-on bass keeps everything moving along at a brisk pace. The addictive vocal samples add a lot of bounce to the track and makes this one of the more celebratory of the bunch while it offers up a bit more attitude than found elsewhere on the album. It's a great closer, definitely, but to these ears it's more of a fantastic one.

 

Three greek producers walk into a studio and it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. The punchline here is more funny-weird, though. Goa and forest producers, one would think, should come up with something more weird and experimental when they put their heads together. Luminescent Revolution is anything but.

 

It is excellent full-on with a morning vibe so nothing goes about beating the listener over the head. That warmth in its sound makes it a very special listen while all the melodies, depth of sound, production values, direction changes and loving attention to detail assure this one is a keeper and a very strong listen for a great long while to come.

 

I did not see this one coming. But knowing what I do about these guys now and how good and unpredictable they seem to be at what they do, I probably won't see their next one coming, either. And I look forward to that.

 

 

Psyshop

 

Declaration Of Unity